Prevention and Early Recognition of Complications During Catheter Ablation by Intracardiac Echocardiography

The effective diagnosis and management of procedural complications remains an important challenge for electrophysiology operators. Intracardiac echocardiography provides a real-time imaging modality with spectral and color Doppler capabilities that integrates directly with electroanatomic mapping systems. It provides detailed characterization of anatomic variants, which allows the operator to optimize the ablation strategy to the individual thereby avoiding the inherent risk of excessive or ineffective lesions. Complications, such as intracardiac thrombus or pericardial effusion, can be detected and managed before the onset of clinical symptoms. Intracardiac echocardiography facilitates the diagnosis and management of intraoperative hypotension.